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Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Shrimp Noodles

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Things are a bit crazy around here. This morning we woke to a light snow that dusted the trees and turned the ridgeline that's visible from the kitchen windows into a scene worthy of a Christmas card. However, the view of the road at the bottom of the hill told an altogether different story. There wasn't a car in sight. We don't get a lot of snow in this part of the valley and because it usually melts quickly, folks tend to stay in rather than chance roads that are in "iffy" condition because of black ice. Normally, that's fine with me. Not so this morning. I was impatiently waiting for a repairman to brave the hill that leads to our house and as I waited there were times I found myself beseeching the heavens with words that were less than prayerful. You see, I have a problem. I have been without an oven for a week now and this man was to be have been my Galahad and right a life turned upside down by the vagaries of a modern appliance. That didn't happen. Oh, he made it up the hill O.K., but the problem was a thermocouple and a part that had to be special ordered. His last words to me were, "maybe next week." Some prince! So, we are going to have another week of stove-top, microwave and toaster oven meals. Fortunately, I have some recipes for this contingency. Tonight's recipe is a really simple stir-fry that can be on the table within thirty minutes. It is great for days when the clock has won the race with time, but you still have a family to feed. This is an Asian-like meal that calls no country home. It consists of noodles and garlic and shrimp that are tossed and stir-fried in a simple soy-based sauced before being rushed to the table to feed the hungry hordes. This is a mildly spiced dish that works well for a week-night meal. It won't make anyone's list of favorites but it is a great fast family meal. You can use precooked shrimp if needs be and any type of pasta can be used if you don't have access to Chinese noodles. The only trick to this dish is not to overcook the noodles prior to stir-frying. Here's the recipe.

Directions:
1) Bring 2 quarts of lightly salted water to a boil in a 3 to 4-quart saucepan. Add noodles and cook per package directions until noodles are just done. Drain noodles in a colander. Rinse with cold water and toss with sesame oil.
2) Rinse shrimp in cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Remove tails from the shrimp if needed. In a medium saucepan, bring enough water to cover shrimp to a boil. Cook shrimp in the boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain thoroughly.
3) Rinse mung bean sprouts and drain thoroughly. Chop green onions.
4) Combine light soy sauce, rice wine or sherry, sugar and chile paste in a small bowl. Set aside.
5) Heat a wok or heavy skillet and add oil. When oil is hot, add garlic and noodles. Stir-fry for a minute, and then stir in shrimp and mung bean sprouts. Give sauce a quick re-stir and swirl it into pan. Stir in green onion. Stir-fry for 1 - 2 minutes to heat everything through. Serve hot. Yield: 4 to 5 servings.

This looks delicious. If anyone can work around not having an oven, it is YOU!!! I hope you have a toaster oven like mine, it is big and will hold a whole pizza or six pieces of toast, you can even bake a chicken in it.

No oven?? I'm sorry, that must be reeeeally inconvenient and annoying! But hopefully one week will come and go in a blink of an eye :) This dish looks amazing though, I love Asian food, especially anything involving shrimp! This is a great recipe that looks colorful, fresh, and delicious! Good luck with your oven, I'm sure you'll do just fine without it :)

Don't feel too bad Mary - I've been operating with a finicky temperamental stove a couple of years now. Sometimes I have 2 working burners sometimes all 4 if I'm lucky & the oven - that's a whole 'nother story. It's been needing to be replaced but it's a cluster of craziness what I need to do to get a new one, because I want to replace it with a gas stove in an all electric house! Maybe it's just a signal to take a break! The noodles sound delicious.

I awoke to snow as well, Mary. We haven't had very much snow at all this winter, so this was actually a welcome sight since it will put a little more water in the reservoirs this Spring. As for your Shrimp Noodles, I'm thinking that they look quite delicious. I love 'Asianish' food!

If I didn't know that I am on the wrong side of 40 to be having children, I would think I was pregnant, because my craving for Chinese food is overwhelming. So glad I can try this snow and get over it, or maybe not. I might want to try it again!

Here, in winter, there is a lot of snow. For example, today we are going to receive around 15cm of it (we alreaday received 20cm last week)... So we're use to it... But no oven... It's a luck that pastas and stir fry exist for these cases. I like this one with shrimp, it's a good week meal!

If anyone can improvise without an oven, it is you, Mary. So sorry about your oven. I know that must be incredibly frustrating as much as you cook! The thermocouple on our gas logs went out, too! [grumble, grumble]

Oh dear! During a blizzard a decade ago, we were without our oven (gas with an electric starter) for several days. It wasn't easy figuring out what to cook. Seems you are managing tastily. Hope the part is winging it's way to you right now.

We are never so thankful for something when we don't have it. As soon as it's repaired I am sure your home will be filled with wonderful baking smells. Until then there is so much to do stovetop. Today in fact I am making a lovely risotto.

It's funny how the things we crave coincide with the appliance that is on the fritz ... even worse when it is the one that is seasonally useful. Bummer about your stove, but your Shrimp Noodles look wonderful.

Oh! I hope the part arrives quickly and you're 'back up and running soon'! In the meantime, I know you'll do just fine with a slow-cooker or a wok or a Dutch oven or a grill pan on the stovetop! You're a cooking wonder, Mary!

Boy, you never realize how much you use the oven until you don't have one! Hope the time flies and you're back to normal soon; however from what I can figure, your abnormal is more than good enough for most people. These shrimp noodles look fabulous!

There is nothing more frustrating than being without an oven! I hope yours gets fixed soon. But thank you for sharing this delicious recipe. I'm enjoying an unseasonably warm night here in Austin and about to start baking a chocolate cake. Much love!

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